2013 - selected by the Newport Daily Express as Man of the Year
2014 - one of 10 nominated by WOWSA for Man of the Year
2019-2020 recipient of the Service to Marathon Swimming Award from the Marathon Swimmers Federation
2020 - selected as one of the Vermont Sports 30: people and organizations who have had a significant impact on Outdoor Recreation in Vermont during the past 30 years and who have shaped Vermont’s outdoor recreation landscape
2022 - received the Jim Doty Award from the L Street Swimmers for devotion to swimmers
2022 - swims were among 10 nominees for WOWSA’s Event of the Year
Phil is an open water swimming race director, administrator, and photographer from Newport, Vermont. The following is from his 2014 nomination for the 2014 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year -
“Race directors have to be committed, caring, and creative. Phil White is the epitome of the much-appreciated organizer who has breathed a renewed sense of community, adventure, and challenge into the idyllic Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, a region dotted with numerous lakes of rare beauty. White envisioned all kinds of courses and competitions where none existed before. He not only has attracted athletes and volunteers from many states and countries to his green corner of the world, but he has also kindled a wide spectrum of support from corporate to governmental entities.”
With his wide-reaching Kingdom Games, Phil and his team now support more than 40 days of competition ranging from ice swimming to marathon swimming. He inspires people from all walks of life, ages, and abilities to participate in races both short and long on a year-round basis. He enthusiastically encourages daring people to dream and helps them achieve those goals.
Chronology of the growth of swimming in the Northeast Kingdom
2009 – Started Kingdom Swim as a 1, 3, and 10-mile event. 100 swimmers of all ages signed up
2010 – Started the Lake Willoughby Swim (5 Miles) with 12 swimmers. 200 showed up for Kingdom Swim
2011 – Started (with Elaine Howley) In Search of Memphre, a 25 mile international swim the length of Lake Memphremagog between Newport, VT and Magog, QC 9 solo swimmers and 1 relay. Only four completed the swim that first year. A added a 6-mile distance to Kingdom Swim. A added a Lake Caspian Swim on the Sunday following the Willoughby Swim.
2009 to 2013 – Held these swims as fundraisers for Indoor Recreation of Orleans County (IROC). In 2013 IROC closed its doors. Started Kingdom Games, Inc. to continue and grow open water swimming, biking, and running events. It is a small for-profit company based on Newman’s Own with all net profits going to local charities. Started with no capital on a cash only basis and the patience of many local vendors. Now host over 50 days of running, biking and swimming in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and the Eastern Townships of Quebec.
2013 – Started the NEK Swim Week, swimming 8 lakes in 9 days for a total of 46 Miles. Crystal, Island Pond, Lac Massawippi, Seymour, Echo, Memphremagog, Willoughby and Caspian. Sarah Thomas double crossed Lake Memphremagog in some fierce conditions. Renamed his house, The Clubhous, as the nerve center for Kingdom Games, with a small amount of lodging available to participants, and as a place from which to swim out and around the islands of Derby Bay on Lake Memphremagog.
2014 – Added the Border Buster (15 Miles) to Kingdom Swim.
2015 – Held the first Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival. Ice was 3’ thick. 41 Winter Swimmers participated. Crewed for Sarah Thomas, Elaine Kornbau Howley, and Craig Lenning in their Loch Ness Swim, establishing the Triple Crown of Lake Monster Swims (Loch Ness, Memphremagog, and Tahoe)
2016 – Lengthened the Border Buster to 25 km.
2017 – Crewed for Sarah Thomas during her 104-mile swim on Lake Champlain
2019 – Reorganized In Search of Memphre to eliminate the use of kayaks and small aluminum boats, and instead escorted two swimmers at a time using two pontoon boats, in several three day windows, selecting the best day in each window.
2020 – In the midst of the pandemic, Kingdom swim postponed for a year. Started the Saturday Clubhous Swim Series with no more than 10 swimmers and 10 kayakers. Held the NEK Swim Week with similar limitations.
2021 – Resumed Kingdom Swim and NEK Swim Week and kept the Saturday Clubhous Swim Series. Started some regular cold water swims from September through the beginning of January
2022 – The Border re-opened and we resumed In Search of Memphre. 9 swimmers successfully completed their swims. 9 more are scheduled to attempt the swim this year.
During the winter of 2023, 155 winter swimmers participated in The Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival. Over 150 swimmers have registered for Kingdom Swim and more than 50 swimmers have already signed up for one or more swims during NEK Swim Week. The Saturday Clubhous Swim Series now has 5 to 15 swimmers signed on for any given Saturday.
Over the course of the past 15 years the Northeast Kingdom has become widely recognized as a world class venue for open water swimming. The lakes we swim are clean (many are pristine), beautiful, with low boat traffic and strong community support, all of which makes for an unlikely mecca for swimmers of all ages and all abilities. Over the years, we have drawn thousands of swimmers and kayakers from over 45 states, three Canadian provinces, and 15 other nations around the world. We have done this with substantial local support and a volunteer pool that has grown to over 150, some of whom travel from as far away as California, Maryland, and around New England just to volunteer.
A robust, tribal, and joyful community has developed around these swims. The Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival roars with joy. The Kingdom Swim has become a true celebration of open water swimming, with youngsters parading beside Triple Crowners at our Pet and Swimmers Costume Parade and sharing the same award ceremony at the end of the day. Our motto has stood the test of time: NO LANES – NO LINES – NO LIMITS .
And, I have made some of the best friends of my life among swimmers, kayakers, and other volunteers.